In the future pages of this volume little if any reference will be made to our vigorous Postmaster General’s attempt to put onto the Senate course a rider that would run down certain periodicals which were to him and certain of his friends, as it would appear, of obstructive if not offensive character. It is possible, if, indeed, not probable, that I may, in this somewhat hurried discussion of our Postoffice Department deficits and their sources, cause and origin, repeat something, in whole or in part, that I have said elsewhere in this volume.
The discussion of the postal deficits leads us into the Raider factor or feature of our general title—into a consideration of the political, partisan and business influences and interests which have for thirty-five or more years been conspicuously—yes, brazenly—looting the revenues of the department. I shall not be able to advert to all such influences, interests and persons. Especially can I not mention some of the persons. Many of them have gone to “their reward”—or to their punishment—as the Almighty has seen fit to assign them. As a matter of venerable custom and of current conventional courtesy we must leave them to His justice—to our silence. One by one many of the dishonestly enriched from our postal revenues have dropped into “the dead past,” which Christ instructed should be left to “bury its dead.” In our treatment of this subject we shall obey the Master’s instruction—we shall discuss methods, practices, and acts, not men.
In turning to our subject directly, I desire to make a few positive statements or declarations.
1. The Postoffice Department is a public service department—a department intended to serve all the people all the time.
2. The people are paying, have paid, and are willing to pay, for their postal service.
3. The people do not care—never have cared—whether the expenditures exceed the receipts by $6,000,000 or $100,000,000, if they get the service for the money expended.
In comment on the last, I wish here to ask if anyone has heard much loud noise from the people about the army and the navy expenditures—expenditures larger than that of any other nation on earth for similar purposes?
Yet, for twenty or more years, the people have paid the appropriations for—also met the “deficit” bills of—each of those departments without any noticeable “holler.”
But, again, it must be pertinently asked, what have the people received in return for their billions of expenditures for those two departments?
Yes, what? They have had the doubtful “glory” of having their army debauch some island possessions, maneuver for local entertainments and do some society stunts while on “post leave”—which “leave”, for epauletted military officers, appears to have occupied most of their time.